The present invention relates to a holding structure of an indicating display device for indicating the storing state of a recording medium and the operating state of a recording medium drive, in the recording medium drive.
Conventionally, there has been known recording medium drives in which a deck is packaged for loading a recording medium into the main frame of the drive body, and at the same time, a printed circuit board (a first printed circuit board) for controlling the whole drive is installed substantially in the approximate horizontal direction on the lower portion of the deck, and in particular, the storing state of a recording medium and the operating state of a recording medium drive can be checked by the user with an indicating display device such as a fluorescent display tube disposed within a front panel of the drive body (e.g. see Japanese Unexamined Utility Model Publication No. 63-107479 and Japanese Examined Utility Model Publication No. 8-768). In these recording medium drives, in either case, a printed circuit board (a second printed circuit board) for controlling a fluorescent display tube is disposed such that it is allowed to stand up substantially in the approximate vertical direction in front of the main frame, and in addition, the fluorescent display tube is disposed such that it is similarly allowed to stand up substantially in the approximate vertical direction in front of the second printed circuit board. The fluorescent display tube is held by an engaging member such as a hook and a bearer which are extended from the main frame and penetrates a through hole provided in the printed circuit board.
Such recording medium drives have the first printed circuit board for controlling the whole drive and the second printed circuit board for controlling the fluorescent display tube, thereby causing the structure to become complex and the manufacturing cost to be increased. A connecting pin drawn downwards in the vertical direction from the lower end of the fluorescent display tube is required to be bent at an angle of approximate 90 degrees in the horizontal direction in order to be electrically connected to the printed circuit board, thereby causing the process of manufacturing the fluorescent display tube to become complex, and the manufacturing cost of the whole drive to be increased.
Thus, there has been proposed a recording medium drive in which the printed circuit board attached to the lower portion of a deck for loading a recording medium is allowed to be extended to a position below the fluorescent display tube, and in which the circuit is configured such that the printed circuit board for controlling the whole drive is integrated with the printed circuit board for controlling the fluorescent display tube (e.g. see Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 10-207388).
In the recording medium drive, the fluorescent display tube is held in such a manner that it is caught between the front and rear sides thereof by projections upstanding upwards on the bottom of the drive body and projections provided on the inner surface in front of the drive body. Although here the printed circuit board is provided between the bottom of the drive body and the fluorescent display tube, a through hole is provided at a position corresponding to the projections for locking the printed circuit board, and by inserting the projections for locking through the through hole, a locking portion of the projections for locking can be formed on the rearward side of the fluorescent display tube. However, in such recording medium drives, as described above, since a through hole must be provided in the printed circuit board, a trouble may be developed in forming the wiring patterns of the printed circuit board. In particular, the through hole is formed below the fluorescent display tube because it is allowed to correspond to the position of the projection for locking the fluorescent display tube, so that it becomes considerably difficult to form the wiring pattern which is connected to the connecting pin drawn below the fluorescent display tube.
Further, there has been proposed a holding structure of the fluorescent display tube for catching the upper portion of the fluorescent display tube located on the printed circuit board between the projections for locking (e.g. see a prior art example described in Japanese Examined Utility Model Publication No. 1-12299). However, this holding structure of the fluorescent display tube has a structure in which the projections for locking are fixed to a part of the frame by using machine screws, so that machine screw tightening requires manhours, and thus it is difficult to reduce the manufacturing cost.
Thus, there has been proposed a holding structure of the fluorescent display tube for holding the fluorescent display tube by fitting the projections for locking formed on the upper end of the fluorescent display tube into the front panel (e.g. see Japanese Examined Utility Model Publication No. 1-12299). In such holding structure of the fluorescent display tube, where an opening and a mechanism for loading a recording medium are provided above the fluorescent display tube, the projections for locking must be fitted through a gap between the fluorescent display tube and the mechanism, so that the manufacturing process involves a considerable difficulty. There is also a restriction in the procedure of manufacturing process in that the front panel must be attached before an armored case is attached.
The present invention is made to solve the problems described above and the object of the invention is to provide an installation structure of the fluorescent display tube which makes the manufacturing cost small by a simple structure and a reduction of manhours for manufacture, and makes possible the miniaturization of the drive body, and to provide a recording medium drive using the installation structure.
The present invention is a holding structure of an indicating display device for a recording medium drive comprising a deck installed in the drive body for loading a recording medium, one printed circuit board attached on the lower portion of the deck for controlling the drive, a chassis on which the deck and the printed circuit board are equipped, a front panel which has an opening for moving the recording medium into and out of the deck and a window located below the opening for seeing through the inside of the drive body and which is attached onto the front of the drive body, and an indicating display device, which is electrically connected to the printed circuit board and disposed at a position inside the front panel and corresponding to the above-mentioned window, for indicating the storing state of the recording medium and the operating state of the drive, wherein locking projections are formed integrally on the frame for mounting the deck in the drive body, and the indicating display device is positioned by the projections for locking.
In the configuration described above, the whole drive and the indicating display device are integrally controlled by the one printed circuit board, thereby making the configuration simple and contributing to reduced manufacturing costs. In mounting the deck in the drive body, a structure is employed in which the indicating display device is held by the projections for locking integrally formed on the frame of the deck, whereby the positioning and holding of the indicating display device can be easily performed by a simple structure.
In the installing structure described above, the printed circuit board and deck are attached substantially in an approximate horizontal direction to a chassis, and the recording medium is moved in the approximate horizontal direction into and out of the front of the drive body. In this configuration, the deck for loading the recording medium is normally arranged below and at the inner part of the opening of which the recording medium is moved into and out, so that disposing the indicating display device on the front of the deck allows the miniaturization of the drive to be realized. The indicating display device can be caught between the front panel and the projections for locking.
The projections for locking may be formed in correspondence with the side in the rear of the indicating display device. In this configuration, the indicating display device is held to be caught between the front and rear sides by the projections for locking formed on the side in the rear of the indicating display device and the front panel of the drive body.
It is sufficient that the frame is molded with a resin material. The projection for locking can be formed in correspondence with both side ends of the indicating display device. In this configuration, the indicating display device is held to be caught between the right and left sides by the projections for locking formed at the both ends of the indicating display device.
It is sufficient that the projections for locking have a concavity into which both side ends of the indicating display device are fit.
Further, the projections for locking can be formed in correspondence with the upper end portion of the indicating display device. In this configuration, the indicating display device is held to be caught between the upper and lower sides by both the projections for locking formed at the upper end portion of the indicating display device and the connecting pin which is drawn from the lower end of the indicating display device and connected to the printed circuit board.
The projections for locking can have a concavity into which the upper end portion of the indicating display device is fit. The indicating display device is a fluorescent display tube.